DRIVEN: 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport First Drive

This 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport has guts. You and your passengers can feel it the moment you hit the gas and the twin-turbo V-6 unleashes its 410 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. There is a quiet, strong presence, an understated confidence. The torque peaks at 1900 rpm, providing punch for launches. Then the revs build, the six cylinders unlimber and you're cruising effortlessly at high freeway speeds. The XTS Vsport is certainly no DeVille.

It's one of the first models with the new performance designation for Cadillac, called Vsport. It's not as extreme as the V-series and its 556-hp supercharged V-8, but it's a considerable step up from the base cars.

This same aluminum block V-6 with variable valve timing is used in the base XTS models, where it pushes out 305 hp and 264 lb-ft in naturally aspirated guise. The Vsport's twin-turbo powerplant gets upgraded with a new direct-injection system, unique cylinder heads and a new cooling system.

In the 2014 CTS Vsport, the same engine is laid longitudinally, mated to an eight-speed automatic, and rated 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet. It's expected to be the spec in the upcoming ATS-v.

Unlike the CTS Vsport, the XTS Vsport is not an athletic car -- its sheer size and 4364-pound curb weight prohibit that -- but the engine transforms the normally buttoned-down sedan into a Q-ship. With standard all-wheel-drive, specially calibrated Magnetic Ride Control, and meatier steering the Vsport does have a mean streak.

Our tester was outfitted with the Platinum package, which sets off the husky proportions of the XTS. The Vsport trim adds a trendy blacked-out grille trimmed in chrome. Flashy vertical lights front and rear and 20-inch aluminum wheels with chrome inserts underscore the styling. It's serious jewelry.

We're struck by how imposing the XTS looks. Our sapphire-blue model can appear to be a shade of plum purple or nearly black depending on the lighting. The lines are long and strong, with one starting at the tip of the taillights and stretching into the front quarter panels. Note the chiseled crease in both doors below the beltline. Liberal strips of chrome accent the wedge-shaped silhouette. Yeah it's bling'd-out -- but it works. After all, the XTS is meant more for old money than nouveaux riches.

The cabin is quiet and posh with an ultra-modern digital cluster. Our tester was handsomely decked out in black and cream and set off by light pipes, which cast a soft glow in the evenings on the doors and dash. The formal setting is interrupted by purple stitching, an unconventional move for the staid brand.

We all know that Cadillac developed the XTS, which doesn't really fit into its rear-wheel-drive lineup of sporty ATS and CTS models, in order not to abandon customers of the old DTS, itself a successor the DeVille. Cadillac's typical buyers should beware: the Vsport has an energy they haven't seen in larger Caddys in generations. More power to them, and to Cadillac.

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